Mistakes of the Innocent
by InheriGirl
Summary: Nico is having some trouble at Camp. It is three years after the second Titan war and Nico begins to have mysterious dreams from a beautiful girl. Who is this girl? And why does Nico feel a special connection to her?  Percabeth, Nico/OC  PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey so I'm back and I have awesome ideas for this percy jackson ff. So tell me how the prologue is. I already have the first few chapters done… so review and leave lots of comments and criticism. Thanx!

~InheriGirl

Prologue

Nico's POV

At first, the usual dreams clouded my mind: images of monsters and the gods. But then… the dream suddenly changed. I was in the Underworld in a dimly lit cave. Walking, or rather, floating forward, I noticed a bright light in the distance. I admit, my first thought was OMG! I see the bright white light at the end of the tunnel! But as I looked closer, I saw that the image was that of a girl, and a very beautiful one at that. She had thick, wavy, brown-black hair that reached down to her elbows. Long eyelashes framed her big, almond-shaped, closed eyes and her olive skin glowed. She looked to be around two inches shorted than me and around my age. The girl wore a plain purple and white short-sleeved t-shirt and denim shorts that were around three inches above her knees. She was also wearing Greek armor and brown cowgirl boots.

As I arrived near her, her eyes snapped open. They were a caramel chocolate color and seemed to hold many emotions.

"Who are you?" She asked in a musical voice. I gasped and tried to speak. Who was this girl? Was she a ghost?

"I'm Nico, son of Hades. Who are you? I-I don't think I've ever seen you before. And your life aura is still alive, so I don't think that you're a ghost," I stated. She gave me an up-down look.

"I don't know if I should trust you. And I don't know why I summoned you. I tried to summon someone else but you came. So it must be a sign of some sort…" She trailed off uncertainly. I was confused. What did she mean by summoning? And why wouldn't she be able to trust me? As these questions ran through my head, the girl lifted her head and began to talk.

"Nico, I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not dead, or at least I really hope that I'm not. Do you go to Camp Half Blood?" The words rushed out of her mouth as if she was running out of time. I nodded. As if reading my thoughts, she said,

"Well, I don't have much time. Long story short, I was in a lot of danger once, and three goddesses turned me into a… a nature object. I'm not sure what they transformed me into. I don't know why the goddesses had taken an interest in me, or why they worried about my safety. If someone doesn't find me soon, then my soul will disintegrate, along with my body and the nature object that the goddesses transformed me into. Also, my twin went missing, and I think that they might have transformed her also. Please, promise that you'll try to find me!" She pleaded, her eyes widening. I was about to nod, before I realized that the girl had never told me who she was.

"Who are you? And why should I help you?" I asked, my suspicion growing.

"I can't tell you right now. Not until you rescue me. I have to ask you to trust me. _Please_," She begged, desperation growing. I was still suspicious, but I refrained from saying anything else. She suddenly clutched my hand.

"Nico, I can't-hold-the-summons-much-longer," She grunted, her grip on my hand tightening. I probably did the most stupid thing then, promising to myself and to this mysterious girl that I would help her, no matter what it took.

"Fine, I'll save you," I said unwillingly.

"Oh, thank you!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around my neck. I could smell her flowery perfume and felt a necklace pressed against my chest. The girl walked backward and waved, before shattering into millions of little pieces, leaving her scent and her remaining words,

"Don't let me down Nico. I have faith in you."

I woke up, sweat pouring down my face. My dream replayed over and over in my head, until I had convinced myself that it wasn't real. Then, I felt something cold and hard against my neck.I looked down and saw an intricately woven necklace with the initials A and L interwoven. Huh, I thought. Maybe the dream was real. And that meant that I had a quest to go on.


	2. Chapter 1 The willow tree

**Chapter 1**

**Percy POV**

"Oh man, so many dead trees! moaned Grover. I sighed and clapped Grover on the back for comfort. Three years after the second Titan war, and we were still rebuilding and recuperating. The gods had stuck to their promise and

demigod children were popping up everywhere. Camp was filling up. So far, I didn't have any brothers or sister, but I was alright with that. Nico and Thalia, on the other hand, had about three to six siblings each. Annabeth was

completing the rebuilding of Olympus and we were still going out.

Right now, Grover and I were trying to find Nico. He'd acted strangely the entire morning and avoided us after breakfast. When we went to try and find him in his cabin, his siblings told us that he'd grabbed his guitar and left

without telling them where he was going. Yeah. It's pretty awesome. Nico taught himself how to play the acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and the drums. He excelled in the music department and definitely won over many friends

from the Apollo cabin. Actually he'd won over many friends overall. And girls. The girls would practically throw themselves at him, but he never seemed to notice. When I asked him about it, he said something about waiting for the

right girl. Oh well.

Anyway, Nico usually played guitar in the forest when he was upset or mulling over something really important. Grover strained his ears to hear some music. He smiled after a few moments and began walking in one direction.

When he noticed that I hadn't followed him, he said,

"Come on. I hear him." I bounded after Grover until I could hear the music and see its source. Nico was sitting cross-legged on the soft grass. He was leaning against a willow tree near a rose bush. He was strumming softly and his

eyes were closed. Either he was extremely intent on his work, or he was choosing to ignore us. I cleared my throat expectantly. Nico suddenly looked up and his shaggy black hair flopped over his eyes.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Um… well.." I stuttered, not good with words. Grover came to my rescue.

"What's wrong? You've been acting like a teenage girl with your mood swings. What-did some girl reject you? Or did you just figure out that you're in love or something?"

Nico blushed slightly after Grover was done. My eyes widened.

"Oh man! I was right! I knew it would be one of those! So who's the unlucky girl?" crowed Grover. Nico rolled his eyes and smacked the top of Grover's head, his hand barely missing the horns. Nico stood up. For being fifteen years

old, Nico had average height. He was around 5'6'', shorter than me and Grover.

"Guys, can I talk to you? Like… seriously?" We nodded , eager for some gossip. Now, you know how people say that girls are the queens of gossip? Well, they're wrong. Boys practically crave gossip. Anyway, back to the problem at

hand.

"Have you ever had dreams about someone in the Underworld who isn't actually dead? Like, not like Kronos. I'm talking about something more… non-evil." Nico finished talking. I thought about it for a second.

"Can't say that I have. I mean, the Underworld and all of its workings are your area of expertise, right?" Nico nodded but still looked confused.

"What do you mean? Tell us what was in the dream," said Grover, his eyebrows furrowed as if he was in deep thought.

"Well there was this girl, and she refused to tell me who she was except that both her and her twin were demigods, and once, when they were in danger, her sister went missing and three goddesses transformed her into some

nature object in this forest. She thinks that her sister was transformed also, but she doesn't know for sure. The girl said that her should would deteriorate if I don't save her soon. And…" Nico stuttered. "And she's really pretty. She

also left me her necklace with the initials A and L interwoven with each other." Nico finished his story and I was surprised. I hadn't ever heard of anything like this before.

"Sorry bro, but I don't think I can help you much on this one." Nico nodded as if it was to be expected. He turned around to get his stuff when Grover said,

"Wait. I've hear about this type of stuff before. I also have my own theories about it, but we should talk to Chiron first. And I know those initials. 'A' and 'L.' And you said that she has a twin. Do you know what her initials are?"

Grover asked inquisitively, going into Seeker mode. Nico shrugged.

"The girl refused to tell me anything else. She seemed very insistent that I only know so much about her until she was rescued. At first, I thought she was evil, but now she doesn't seem like that type of person." Grover nodded

and there was a moment of awkward silence. The willow tree's leaves shook back and forth. I decided to break the silence.

"So we're going to see Chiron?" I asked.

"It seems like it," said Grover and Nico picked up the rest of his stuff. We started walking toward camp and Nico began singing under his breath.

_"We're off to see Chiron,_

_The wonderful centaur of Camp." _

I snickered and Grover laughed loudly. We passes the Hades cabin and waited for Nico to put away his things. After asking around a little bit, we found Chiron in Rachel's cave with Rachel and Annabeth. They all looked when we

walked in. Annabeth walked over and kissed my cheek, before waiting to hear the news.

**HOW IS IT? lolz. so tell me how it is! *hint hint* (that means to REVIEW) yayness! oh and how do u like my new word: awesomesaucetasticalness**

**its pretty awesome, huh? lolz! I love you all!**

**~InheriGirl**


	3. Chapter 2 Revelations

**Chapter 2**

**Nico POV**

"So what's up?" asked Rachel.

"You look worried," Annabeth said, holding Percy's hand.

"Nico had a bit of a… revelation," said Percy uncertainly. Grover nodded.

"Chiron, have you ever had dreams about someone in the Underworld who isn't actually dead? Not like Kronos, but something more non-evil?" Grover

asked. If it wasn't for the direness of the situation, I would have smiled. Chiron frowned and asked,

"No Grover, I don't think I've had any dreams like that, but in my age of almost a couple hundred of years, I wouldn't remember. Perhaps you could let

Nico explain his dreams so that I could know more about it?"

At first, I was astonished. How did he know? Then I remembered. This was Chiron. He practically read kid's minds after so many years of teaching. Rachel

and Annabeth were looking expectantly at me, Annabeth more so that Rachel. Annabeth had an intense look on her face as if she was about to solve the

world's next greatest mystery. Which, in a way, she was going to do.

So, for the second time, I told my story. I told them about the mysterious girl, explaining everything from her beautiful appearance to her forbidding

words, to her desperate pleas of help. I explained how she had been able to hug me and when I woke up and began doubting her existence, her necklace

suddenly appeared around my neck. I showed them the necklace, and Chiron looked curious, if not slightly confused. Everyone gathered around the

necklace, eager to hear more of my story and see proof of the girl. Chiron's expression darkened slightly when he saw the initials.

"A L," he muttered to himself.

"You say that this girl had a twin?" he asked, eyes boring through me. I nodded and he frowned.

"Tell me one more thing. Was this girl actually on the ground, or was she floating?" he asked, beard quivering with apprehension. I thought back to the

dream.

"Now that I think about it, she was a few inches off of the ground. Why-is that a bad sign or something?" I asked, suddenly wanting to defend this girl.

"Oh yes. I had hoped that she wouldn't be the one but apparently she's alive. But her sister is missing. That could be a bit of a problem…" Chiron appeared

to be in deep thought until Rachel interrupted his musings.

"Um Chiron, do you know who she is?" Chiron lifted his head and stared at us grimly.

"Her name is Alysa Lyndall. Her twin is Alethea Lyndall. They're both mistakes.. innocent mistakes."

Annabeth opened her mouth to speak but Chiron raised his hand.

"Children, sit down. This is going to be a bit of a long story." As everyone sat down, we heard two more people enter. Travis and Connor Stoll came in,

wearing identical guilty smiles. Rachel rolled her eyes as they joined us.

"So as I was saying," Chiron said in a powerful voice. "Alysa and Alethea were fraternal twins. They were amazing, probably the most entertaining kids that

I ever had. Everyone loved them. But none of the gods claimed them until a week before their fifteenth birthday. That's when everything changed, and

everyone's views of them turned sour. Their mother.. their mother was Hera."

Everyone gasped. I felt as though I was struck by lightning. How could their mother be Hera? She was the goddess of marriage, and it wasn't right for her

to have kids with the mortals. Also, Zeus would be extremely mad. Hypocrite. And I thought that Hera had her own ideals of her perfect family: Zeus,

herself, and her godly children. What happened to cause a lapse in her ideals? And how could Hera put her demigod twins in peril by claiming them? I

leaned forward, anxious to hear the rest of the story.

"Yes, it was a bad time for us all when Hera claimed the twins. Before long, the twins found themselves shunned by many of their fellow campers and the

gods. I must admit that even I avoided them slightly," Chiron rubbed his forehead with his hand, seeming tired and old.

"So, what happened next?" asked the Stoll brothers. They turned to each other.

"I said it first!" They yelled.

"Jinx! You owe me a drachma!" Travis crowed. Connor sulked and crossed his arms.

"So what did happen next?" asked Percy.

"Well, as you can imagine, Zeus wasn't very happy with Hera. He sent violent thunderstorms across the U.S. and put the entire country in danger. Hera

attempted reasoning with him, but he just got worse. Eventually, Zeus decided that the only way to get revenge on Hera for having kids with a mortal was

to kill her kids."

Annabeth gasped and looked around at everyone.

"Wait, Chiron. So you're saying that Zeus decided to kill his wife's demigod kids? Geez, what a hypocrite!" Annabeth scoffed and stared at the ground.

Rachel piped in to break the awkward silence.

"If you ask me, I don't think that's very fair. Anyway, so let me guess what happens next in the story. I think that the twins disappeared the very next

day. No one knew where they went. And no one could find them. Everyone assumed that Zeus took the kids. So eventually everyone just gave up looking

for them." Rachel concluded.

"Yes and no. The twins did disappear. But no one know where they went, save for a few gods. Or at least, that's my theory. A few campers had known that

the twins were friends with a few goddesses. They were seen more than once with Aphrodite, Artemis, and Amphitrite. No one really knew what their

conversations were about, but everyone just assumed the obvious. They thought that Aphrodite was trying to ask them to change their wardrobe and

Artemis was asking them to join her Hunters. But no one really know what Amphitrite was saying to them. I have my suspicions that the goddesses were

trying to tell the twins what Zeus was deciding for their fate as daughters of Hera. Zeus learned what the goddesses were doing, and he was going to kill

the girls immediately. Hera managed to persuade him to put it off for a a few more days, giving the three goddesses enough time to hide the girls, or in

this case, transform them."

I sighed. Why did Alysa refuse to tell me who she was then? I had a feeling that there was more to this story than what Chiron was telling us.

Frustratedly, I pulled at my hair.

"Chiron, I know that there's more to this story. Something just doesn't seem right. Why did the three goddesses care so much about the twins? What was

so important about them? And their powers-What were they?" I ranted, questions and thoughts flying about in my head.

"Nico, I don't know the answers to most of your questions. But I do know their powers. Alethea could turn invisible and shapeshift and Alysa could teleport

and fly. Being twins and daughters of the Queen of the gods, it was pretty obvious that they would have great powers." Chiron finished but my main

questions were still unanswered. It just didn't make sense. Annabeth raised her hand tentatively.

"Chiron, we don't know the full story. We have to save these twins. Maybe we could find someone who actually knows the full story." Annabeth looked

around excitedly, hoping that somebody would catch on to her idea. She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"We could go and ask the three goddesses themselves. They were there. They knew the twins personally and seemed to take a strange interest in the

girls. We could ask them for the story and tell them Nico's dream. Maybe they could help us." Annabeth finished and looked around. I nodded. It wasn't the

smartest idea ever, but since no one else had a plan, I was in. As I looked around, everyone was nodding. Chiron opened his mouth to talk.

"Chiron, I know that it isn't the smartest idea ever, but it's the best idea so far. I think we should try it." Chiron nodded in defeat.

"Well, now that we have an idea, can we go get lunch? I'm starving," said Connor.

"Yeah. Let's come back after lunch to start planning!" added Travis. We all got up and went out of the door. I couldn't wait to start planning!

**So how do you like it? REVIEW! **

**LUV3,**

**InheriGirl**


	4. Chapter 3 Plans and Flashbacks

**A/N: So how is this chapter? i really need more reviewers so pretty please tell anyone that you know about this story! thanx! and enjoy.**

**Chapter 3**

**Nico POV**

After a huge lunch that consisted of a variety of foods, we went to Annabeth's cabin to start planning. Travis and Connor made a small detour to get pilfered sodas from their cabin.

We sat down to get comfy and made small talk as we waited for Chiron to arrive. Connor and Annabeth were arguing about the wrongs and rights of stealing. Percy was talking to

Rachel about what university she was going to in the fall. Travis, Grover, and I were huddled in a small corner. I was fingering Alysa's necklace and Travis was attempting to steal

the chain off of my black jeans. Eventually he gave up and tried to get into a conversation with me.

"So Nico, I heard that you were like… really geeky when Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia told you that you were a demigod. Is is true?" Travis asked, looking curiously at me. I

rolled my eyes, remembering how nerdy and geeky I used to be.

"Yeah. Unfortunately it's true. I used to be obsessed with these stupid games and figurines. There was this one game, I think it was called Mythomagic, and all of the gods could

battle against each other and against monsters… I also had action figures of Zeus, Ares, and Apollo. I used to think that they were the coolest thing in the world. But my sister,

Bianca, hated them.

"Huh," I snorted. "From what I could tell, she hated me too. After all, she left me. First by becoming a Hunter, and second by dying. It's pathetic," I spit out, eyes watering slightly.

Travis looked concerned and serious for once.

"Hey Nico, what did happen with Bianca and all? I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but… I never did learn the full story," Travis said hesitantly. I nodded.

"Travis, it's okay. I'll tell you." I noticed that the room had become quiet and that everyone was watching us. "I'll also tell everybody else!" Annabeth and Rachel at least had the

decency to look embarrassed. I shook my head.

"I'm not sure exactly when Bianca became a Hunter**, **but I think Percy knows." Percy nodded and began telling the story.

"I was talking to Artemis, explaining what the monster had said to us-" Connor interrupted him.

"What monster?" He looked guilty for interrupting.

"It was a manticore. He was disguised as the vice principal of some military school," said Annabeth quietly. Her eyes took on a dazed look. No doubt she was remembering how she and the manticore plunged off of the cliff.

"Anyway, so I was talking to Artemis, and she promised to find the manticore and bring it back to Olympus by the winter solstice. Artemis broke the news to Zoe Nightshade,

another Hunter and second in command, that I would lead the Hunters to Camp Half Blood where they would be staying for a while. Artemis turned to Bianca and asked if she

had made up her mind. Artemis told her that she would have a new family that was free of responsibility. If anything, Artemis is awesome at the skills of persuasion."

Percy said with a dark chuckle. My face darkened at hearing the words 'free from responsibility.' So that's what I was. A burden. Pathetic. Percy looked at me worriedly before talking again.

"So Bianca took the pledge and Artemis said that we would get a ride to Camp Half Blood form her twin, Apollo. She said something about how he was irresponsible… Anyway, I

think that Nico can take it up from here… Oh wait, not yet. Thalia got really mad at Zoe and then Apollo came. He was driving a red convertible Maserati Spyder. My future car." I

gave Percy a look and he grinned and continued talking.

"So then Apollo asked Thalia is she wanted to drive. This is where I learn that Thalia has a fear of heights." I chuckled. Thalia seemed immune to fear, and her only fear seemed

pretty lame if you ask me. I mean, her dad was the Lord of the Skies. And she was afraid of heights? Come on! I took up the story.

"Eventually we managed to get to camp in one piece. I met Chiron and thought that this was the coolest gig ever. For Capture the Flag, Percy had me on guard duty with Travis

and Connor. I think that he was trying to keep me safe. Key word: _trying." _I rolled my eyes and the Stoll brothers bumped fists.

"So Percy had this stupid idea that he could get the Hunter's flag by himself. He ran off, leaving us to guard the flag." Percy looked offended but continued the story.

"I almost won, but Zoe Nightshade got our flag first. Then Thalia and I got into a huge fight. She shocked me, throwing me into the creek, and I had a ten-foot wave rise and

douse all of her lightning power stuff…." Percy sighed as he looked back on the memory. Travis got a dreamy look on his face.

"That was pretty awesome!" exclaimed Conner. Annabeth looked patronized.

"Why didn't I ever hear about this?" asked Annabeth. Percy shrugged.

"I didn't think that it was too important. And I'm not even at the best part." Annabeth's eyes widened.

"The Oracle came down from her dusty old attic. She stood in the middle of all of us and said a prophecy to Zoe.

_ Five shall go west to the goddess in chains,_

_ One shall be lost in the land without rain,_

_ The bane of Olympus shows the trail,_

_ Campers and Hunters combined prevail,_

_ The Titan's curse must one withstand,_

_ And one shall perish by a parent's hand._

The Oracle sat down on a rock and became as still as she's been in the attic. Zoe, Bianca, Phoebe, Thalia, and Grover were going. I wanted to go too. The next day, before they left, I

had to do a rescue mission for Bessie, when I saw Nico spying on the the Hunters," Percy looked pointedly at me. I lifted the corners of my mouth and almost smiled.

"I overheard that Phoebe had gotten centaur blood on the inside of her shirt that Travis and Connor gave her." The brothers looked at each other and laughed. Annabeth looked

scandalized while Rachel, who was now lounging on a beanbag, rolled her eyes.

"So Phoebe couldn't go and I took her place.. secretly. I promised Nico that I would protect Bianca, but I failed. So Nico was really mad at me when I got back and told him the

news." I felt ashamed. But I had a right to be angry at Percy. My sister had died… but Percy did let her go as a hero.

"Perce, did I ever apologize for sending those skeleton warriors after you?" Percy smiled and waved, the past forgotten.

"Still," I said. "It's not fair that Bianca had to die. And now I know that my fatal flaw is to hold grudges. Stupid fatal flaw," I muttered. Everyone's heads turned to the door at the

sound of a new voice.

"And yet, you're fatal flaw shall one day be your greatest gift," Chiron said, standing at the entrance of the cabin. We beckoned him in and he showed us some papers.

"So you need to talk to the three goddesses. I would say that one of you go to Olympus and request a private audience with Aphrodite and Artemis. I also think that Nico should go

talk to Hera." I was surprised.

"Why me?" I asked. Chiron looked me in the eye.

"Because you had the dream about her daughters. I believe that Hera would be pleased to know that her daughters are still alive."

"Not unless she planned for them to be turned into trees until they wither and die," I muttered.

"What?" asked Annabeth, shock written over her face.

"Well, again, something is missing from all of this. I know it. There's some big piece in this that

we don't know of yet. So tomorrow, I'm gonna march into Olympus and find out the truth, one way or the other!" I said, standing up to pace.

"Don't you think you're being a bit hasty?" asked Annabeth.

"No, because we don't have much time. We're only going to have another week and a half torescue Alysa and Alethea." I nodded. "So tomorrow let's meet at Thalia's tree after

breakfast."

Everyone nodded.

"Oh, and Percy?" Percy turned around.

"Try to tell your dad to get his wife ready to talk to us." Percy gave a mock salute and everyone laughed. We walked out of the door, my heart thrumming with anticipation for the day to come.

That night I had another dream. Alysa was waiting for me and her face lit up when she saw me.

"Nico, you came!" she cried joyfully. I felt confused.

"Didn't you summon me?" I asked. Alysa shook her head, looking worried.

"I don't like the fact that neither of us consciously summoned us, but who knows? Your powers may be growing." Alysa put on a cheerful face. I hated to ruin her happiness, but I hated lying to her even more. I fingered her necklace.

"Alysa, cut the crap. I know who you are." I expected her to maybe start crying, like all of the Aphrodite girls. But instead she just shrugged and said,

"Eh. I knew that you would figure it out sooner or later. You aren't mad that I deceived you?" she asked timidly. I waved it off.

"No. Not really. But I do want to know more about you and Alethea. No more secrets?" I asked, and held out my pinkie finger. Alysa giggled.

"No more secrets," Alysa promised, looking into my eyes. When our pinkies touched, it was like a spark of electricity went through me. I pulled away soon, too soon. Alysa noticed the awkward silence.

"So who finally told you who I was?" she asked, curious.

"Chiron. He seemed kind of.. annoyed. But eventually I got him to praise you and Alethea." Alysa laughed.

"Well, I guess an entire day of calling Chiron 'pony' would get him a bit riled up." My eyes widened in awe.

"You called Chiron a pony?" I asked her incredulously. She laughed again before answering,

"Yeah! It was totally awesome. I was dared to call him pony. I got fifty dollars by the end of the day." Alysa finished with a smug smile on her face. I laughed loudly and motioned

for her to sit down. She sat, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her knees.

"So, your sister, tell me more about her," I inquired, eager to hear more. Alysa took a deep breath before beginning to talk.

"Alethea is my twin. While I'm darker... at practically everything, she's like my opposite. While I have brownish black hair, she has auburn hair. Thea has azure blue eyes and she

can shapeshift and turn invisible. Also, while I like to dress up, she prefers to wear loose and comfortable clothes. But she's really smart and when she wants to, she can look

beautiful." Alysa looked at me, as if gauging my reaction.

"Your sister seems interesting. What's her personality like?" I asked, hoping to get to know more about Alysa's personality. Alysa sighed.

"She can be a pain sometimes. But she's kind and nice unless she gets mad. Then she'll slap you. She has a quick temper but doesn't judge people too quickly. Also, Thea is

amazing in battle. She's got quick battle reflexes so she's really good at fighting with daggers. Thea was teaching me, but I'll never be as good as her." Alysa sighed, looking as if she

was missing her sister very much. I held her hand, rubbing her thumb comfortingly. Another electric current ran through our enclosed hands. Alysa gasped and looked up into my

eyes again. I felt drawn to her eyes, with their amazing color and the way that the light reflects in them. The next thing I knew, I was less than an inch away from her face. Alysa

looked dazed, but shook her head and moved away. I felt disappointed. Why did she move away? Just when the silence was getting unbearable, I broke it.

"Tell me more about yourself." Alysa looked startled.

"W-what?" she asked, voice almost cracking.

"What do you like about yourself? What are you proud of?" I asked. Alysa blinked really quickly and began answering.

"Well, I'm really proud of my style. I like to design my own clothes and I think of my style as girly-funky-punky. I adore cowgirl boots and always have a dagger in my boot or a

sword on my hip. I love sword-fighting and I'm not a bad shot in archery. I love jogging, horseback riding, and reading. I also love to sing. Thea and I used to do talent shows

together. I'm really clumsy and tend to break a lot of things. I act crazy and love fictional characters. I love the color purple." Alysa finished and looked down at her lap. I smiled and

pulled her chin up so she could look at me.

"Thank you," I said. Suddenly she looked panicked.

"I have to go!" I pulled up, surprised.

"Wait, what?" I asked, rushing to stand up while maintaining my grip on her hand.

"I don't have enough time right now, but I'll tell you tomorrow night!" Alysa threw her arms around my neck. I held her waist for a second and felt her nervous body quivering

against mine. Alysa leaned her head back and kissed my cheek before breaking away from me and waving. Before I woke up from my dream, I could've sworn that I saw her eyes

overflowing with tears.

-&***^%$$#!#$^&*(_-

I woke up, sweat pouring down my face. I could still feel the burn of Alysa's kiss on my cheek and her arms left an invisible imprint around me. I smiled goofily as I thought of our

time together. Aly was amazing. I knew it. She was the one for me. I smiled in contentedness before remembering her hasty goodbye. Something wasn't right and I was going to

find out what it was. I lay back down to try to get some sleep before we had to go to Olympus.

**A/N: So how was it? Please review! PLEASE TELL EVERYBODY THAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS STORY! AND PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE? THANX!**

**~InheriGirl**


	5. Chapter 4 The Prophecies

**Chapter 4**

**Nico's POV**

I stood next to Thalia's tree in the morning. As I waited for everybody else to finish breakfast, I thought about my dream from the previous night. Alysa seemed scared of

something, when she told me that she had to go. Judging by her personality, Alysa doesn't get scared very easily. My musings were interrupted as I heard everyone coming to

Thalia's tree. Annabeth was holding her Yankees invisibility cap, Percy was holding Riptide, Rachel brought a backpack, Travis and Connor were each wearing flying shoes, and

Grover was holding his reed pipes. I nodded as I assessed the group. They fell silent and I noticed that I had seemingly slipped into the role of a leader. It was a refreshing

feeling.

"Alright, let's leave now. Remember to be respectful to the gods and to not insult any of the goddesses. We need their help," The group murmured their assents and followed

me to the bottom of the hill where Argus was waiting with a van. I decided to not tell anyone else about my second dream yet. We piled in-I called shotgun. I cranked up the

radio to some alternative rock station.

After a while, we arrived at the Empire State Building. As we filed out of the van, I looked around for monsters. We hustled inside and asked the elevator man if we could go

up to the 600th floor. After a bit of persuasion that may have included a threat of setting Mrs. O'Leary after him, we boarded the elevator. Some crappy music was playing.

Finally, we reached the top and stepped out. Everybody looked around in awe. As we started walking forward, vendors began calling out to us.

There was a Cyclops trying to recruit people to help rebuild Poseidon's palace. There was a dryad selling an amulet, 'guaranteed to make you as wise as Athena!' Many people

were walking down the main roads and some satyrs were bounding away from the throne room. After being hustled around for a few moments, we reached the marble

walkway to the throne room. There was a golden-red carpet and as we began to walk, statues rose up in full color. There were statues of Zeus, Hera, Athena, Poseidon,

Demeter, Hades, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Hestia, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Hephaestus, Ares, and all of the minor gods. Near the end of the walkway, a golden glow was

illuminating the doorway. We were about to walk in, when two centaurs stopped us.

"State your name and purpose," they spoke in unison. I looked around and decided to speak for the group.

"We're demigods and an Oracle- I'm Nico, son of Hades, this is Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and Travis and Connor Stoll. We need to speak to Lady

Artemis, Lady Aphrodite, and Lady Hera. And maybe Apollo or Hermes later." I added as an afterthought.

"Lady Artemis is with her Hunters right now. They are traveling the country. But Lady Aphrodite and Lady Hera are available. Also, Lord Apollo and Hermes are here. Who do

you wish to speak with first?" the centaur inquired.

I turned around to talk to the group. Annabeth wanted to talk to Aphrodite, Apollo, Hermes, and lastly, Hera. I could see the logic in her idea, but the Stoll brothers and Percy

wanted to talk to Artemis by Iris message. Grover and Rachel were indifferent. After making a final decision, I turned back toward the centaurs.

"We wish to speak first to Lady Aphrodite, then Lord Apollo, Lord Hermes, and lastly Lady Hera. Is it possible that we could Iris-message Lady Artemis before we talk to Lady

Hera?" I asked, knowing that I would try IM'ing Artemis back at Camp anyway. The centaurs seemed to catch onto my thoughts and nodded.

"As you wish, young demigods." They opened the heavy doors and led us through the building until we arrived at a section where everything seemed to be pink. I blinked and

rubbed my eyes. Annabeth breathed quietly,

"Aphrodite's quarters." I nodded. After the centaurs knocked on the pink doors, they opened inward.

"The Lady awaits you!" The centaurs trotted away, their hooves clicking on the tile. I took a deep breath and walked into the pink room…. And was blinded. Pink was

everywhere! I could feel my manliness slipping away from me. Dazed, I looked at everyone else and saw that they were looking around the same as I felt. The girls had looks

of disgust on their faces. Suddenly we heard a beautiful voice calling out to us.

"Children, don't you know that it's rude to stand in doorways? Tsk, tsk." I turned and saw a beautiful woman sitting down on a couch. She beckoned us over to sit by her. At

first my legs felt like jelly, but I finally was able to move them. We all sat down. As I looked more closely at the goddess, I noticed stuff about her. She looked slightly like

Alysa, but then underneath everything, I could see that she had pure white skin with blonde hair. The other boys seemed mesmerized and Annabeth and Rachel were looking

very self-conscious of themselves. I decided to speak.

"Um.. Lady Aphrodite?" I asked, already knowing fully who she was. She looked slightly confused before smiling hugely.

"Nico, sweetheart, you don't seem to be affected by me?" She half asked. I shook my head. Aphrodite smiled even bigger.

"Oh, this is so amazing!" Aphrodite gushed, looking straight at me. Annabeth seemed to come out of her daze a little bit and spoke.

"Um, I'm sorry, Lady Aphrodite, but what's so amazing? And we need some help." Annabeth said. Aphrodite looked lovingly at Annabeth.

"Oh Annabeth, how's your relationship with Percy going? I think it's just the cutest thing in the world. Especially as your parents just _despise_ each other. And Nico, isn't it

amazing? I can sense a new love interest in your future also!" She turned to Travis and Connor.

"Boys, if you shape up, then you might find your true love," she scolded them. Travis and Connor looked abashed. Aphrodite then turned to Rachel.

"Oh, Rachel dearest, you think that you might not be able to find true love with your predicament of being an Oracle, but don't worry. You're true love may be right here in

this room!" Annabeth opened her mouth to speak but Aphrodite cut her off.

"Yes, child, I do know of your mission." She turned to me. "Nico, you came to ask for information about Alysa?" I nodded, eager for information.

"Well, you should get comfy. Alysa and her sister, Alethea were very interesting, entertaining girls. They always had new ideas, they had amazing battle reflexes, and they

captured the hearts of many boys. It was so sweet! They should have been my daughters," Aphrodite wiped a few stray tears from her eyes and Percy got a tissue for her.

"Thank you Percy. Anyway, where was I? Oh right. So when they were about eleven years old, there was a prophecy made about them. It was the saddest thing ever, when I

heard about it. Hera was so upset, that she decided to help them a bit. So she allowed me, Artemis, and Amphitrite to talk to the girls. We told them about the prophecy that

was made by Apollo himself. The girls were astounded that a prophecy was made about them. But they were even more vigilant to stay hidden from Zeus after hearing the

dreadful words. Once Zeus did find them, the girls were in danger. As a last attempt on their safety, Hera directed his attentions elsewhere for a few days, giving me, Artemis,

and Amphitrite enough time to hid the girls. And now I'm so thrilled that you're on a quest to find them! It's so darn sweet! And don't worry, I'm going to make this the

perfect love story, with jealousy and tragicness! Oh, I can't wait!" Aphrodite waved her hands around her face, trying to cool down. I decided to ignore the last part when she

talked about tragicness and sadness and jealousy. But one part of her speech seemed to stick out greatly.

"Aphrodite, what was in the prophecy? And how can we find the twins?" I asked urgently. Aphrodite just smiled endearingly at me.

"Oh, sweetheart, I would tell you the prophecy, but it's not mine to tell. And don't worry about finding the twins, that'll come easily enough once you learn the prophecy."

Aphrodite smiled as if she knew what tricks she was playing on us. I felt like screaming with frustration.

"Aphrodite, you just told us that we would need the prophecy to find the girls. And you also said that you can't tell us the prophecy. Who can tell us the prophecy?" I asked,

trying to reign in my anger.

"Good job, Nico. You're a smart one! I wish all of my girls could date an amazing boy like you! Anyway, you have to ask Apollo about the prophecy. But beware. He feels like

the girl's imprisonment within a nature object is his fault. Be very careful about what you say around him. Anyway, I need to change my clothes, I don't feel proper in these.

So good luck, and I hope that you learn about the prophecy." Aphrodite waved her hand at us. It was clearly a dismissal. I turned to walk away when I noticed that only

Annabeth and Rachel were following. I rolled my eyes and went back to drag Connor. Rachel grabbed Travis and Annabeth held onto Percy. We went outside and into a

courtyard.

"Well, that room was just hideous," exclaimed Rachel. I laughed and the rest of the boys seemed to be coming out of their dazes.

"Did we finish talking to Aphrodite?" mumbled Travis. Annabeth laughed and smacked the side of his head.

"Yes nimrod, now shut up as we think of what to say to Apollo." A voice interrupted us behind me.

"Say what to Apollo?" I turned and saw the god himself standing there.

"Um-well-I-" I stuttered, not knowing what to say. Percy came to my rescue.

"Prophecy," Percy mumbled. Annabeth and Rachel smacked his head, and my eyes widened with shock. My idiot cousin almost gave everything away! Remind me to kill him

when we get back tonight._ If_ we get back tonight.

"Prophecy?" Apollo asked, seeming confused. He tilted his head for a bit, thinking, before his face darkened and his eyes flickered.

"_That_ prophecy? You really want to know about _that _prophecy?" Apollo shook his head in sorrow, and sat down on the bench.

"The effects of that prophecy still haunt me today. You have _no_ idea how terrible it is." I almost felt bad for him.

"Apollo, I'm the son of Hades. Trust me on when I say that I know all about haunted things. So why don't you try me with this prophecy and I'll see how haunting it is?"

Apollo nodded his head and began speaking in a grave voice.

_"In a time of great suffering and of war,_

_Children are born and spirits will soar,_

_Twins of parentage that is untold,_

_Arrive at camp and are as good as gold,_

_Loyalties will be tested,_

_But in the end, the good shall be bested._

_Two lives shall be put to rest,_

_As eternal peace shall be messed._

_Until a young man of years old,_

_Disturbs the rest of twins foretold,_

_Great sufferings and times of peace shall unfold."_

Apollo finished talking and we all stared at him. A young man of year of old? Who-wait… I disturbed the twin's rest by appearing to Alysa in a dream. I was only fifteen

although I stayed in the Lotus Casino for almost sixty years. The young man of years old was me. Great. Fantastic. Now the fates of these two girls depended on me. And it

was foretold. Apollo looked carefully at me.

"Nico, I understand that you're probably angry that no one has told you about this. But we didn't even know that you were the young man in the prophecy." I felt a whirl of

emotions within me.

"Aphrodite said that once I heard the prophecy, we would be able to easily find out where the twins are. I don't understand… Where are they?" Apollo grinned before looking

over at Rachel.

"Miss Dare, are you ready for a prophecy?" Rachel's eyes widened but she nodded anyway. I took a deep breath.

"What's my destiny?" I asked Rachel. Her eyes glowed and green smoke surrounded her.

_"The young man of years old and saviors of five,_

_Into a perilous journey shall dive,_

_To rescue twins of past foretold,_

_Their future and lives to unfold,_

_One shall find at the brooding willow,_

_A tortured soul of a girl with features of a doe,_

_One is lost and one is found,_

_The missing hidden in nature round,_

_To awaken from long slumber deep,_

_Only time will heal and blade will reap."_

Rachel stopped talking and she returned back to normal. I stared at her uncomprehendingly. Apollo slapped a piece of paper into my hand. Looking down, I saw that the

prophecy was written on it.

"So, there you go. Spend a few days mulling over the prophecy, but don't wast too much time otherwise the twins will be gone." Apollo grinned, seemingly back to his usual

cheerful self. Percy snorted.

"If I know Nico, then he'll probably be working at it day and night." Annabeth glared at Percy.

"And we'll be helping him, won't we?" she asked menacingly. Percy gulped and nodded.

"Well, you should go now. I don't think that you need to speed to anyone else." Apollo ushered us away, looking nervously over his shoulder.

"But-" I protested, trying to get away.

"No buts. Time for you to go." Apollo smiled and we went back down in the elevator. The rest of the ride to camp was a blur for me. _Why was Apollo so incessant that we _

_leave? What was going on?_

-*^$$$$$#!#$&&*((_-

**So, how do you like it? And would it really kill you to review? Thanks for my current three reviewers! Review next chapter and I'll give all of ya a shout out! :)**


	6. Chapter 5 A Tortured Soul

**Chapter 5 **

**Nico's POV**

When we arrived back at Camp, Chiron was waiting for us. He looked slightly confused and looked at the sun.

"Chiron, we only spoke to Aphrodite and Apollo." Again, I wondered why Apollo had rushed us away. Could we Iris-message Artemis and Hera? My questions unanswered, I followed the others back to Annabeth's cabin. After clearing a few of her siblings out of there, we sat down and made ourselves comfy.

"So how did it go?" asked Chiron, eyes roaming over each of us. Annabeth began pacing. She looked mad.

"It was almost a complete waste! First, we had to talk to Aphrodite who practically laid a spell over these numbskulls," Annabeth waved her hands towards Travis, Connor, and Percy. Rachel piped up.

"Well, it's not exactly their fault, seeing as Aphrodite is the goddess of love and lust. And Annabeth, calm down. We did get some important information. And I think I know why Apollo didn't let us speak to Hera." I stared at her. Annabeth looked mad, Percy was blank-faced, and the Stoll brothers looked as if they were about to kiss the ground that Rachel walked on. Gross. But then again, if I was on the recieving end of Annabeth's anger, I would kiss the ground that any loser walked on if they helped me.

"So what did you discover?" asked Chiron curiously. Huh. I never thought of Chiron as curious. He would be wise, or smart, but never curious... It just doesn't fit him. Oh well. Connor answered the question.

"We learned about the missing part in this story." Everyone leaned in, eager to hear more although most of us already knew.

"There's a pro-" The door slammed open. I squinted from the sun pouring into the cabin and saw Clarisse LaRue and Chris Rodriguez standing in the doorway.

"What's up, punks? A little bird told me that you were here." I fumed silently. Clarisse sounded almost like her father, Ares, the god of war. Did Clarisse really have to barge in? Right now, of all times? I really didn't want her to be in this, but I didn't really have a choice now.

"What do you want, Clarisse?" asked Grover bravely. "Who's asking," said Clarisse, grinning evilly.

"Shove off, Clarisse. Either come in, or stay out," I said, standing up.

"Or what?" She grinned testily at me. I rolled my eyes and lifted my hand so that it was parallel to the floor. With a push and a loud groan, the cabin began to shake. Everybody yelled. Once the shaking stopped, we looked down. Where Clarisse was standing was a big chasm. She stepped back nervously before sitting down quietly. I smirked to myself. It was awesome being a son of Hades sometimes. I closed the chasm with a lot less shaking than before.

"So, what's up?" asked Chris, trying to drive the attention away from Clarisse. I had Annabeth fill in Clarisse and Chris. After a few moments, they nodded, understanding our position. I nodded at Connor to continue speaking.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," here Connor glared at Clarisse. Clarisse growled at him and he hurriedly began talking again.

"There was a prophecy. Two prophecies." He paused a moment to let that sink in. Chiron looked surprised.

"Two prophecies? I never would have imagined-Well I had my theories, but-" Chiron faded into his thoughts. Clarisse looked impressed and Chris looked confused.

"But what were the prophecies about?" asked Chris. I decided to save Connor the trouble of answering.

"The first one was about the twins and how they'd be hidden at Camp for a while before their parentage was revealed. Then chaos would ensue and their lives would be put to rest until a young man would come and disturbs their rest. Then great sufferings and times of peace would unfold. The second one was from Rachel. That one is more murky, in other words, I don't quite know what it means," I finished, looking at everyones faces.

"I think I may know what it means," said Rachel, waving her hand slightly in the air. We all looked to her.

"Well, the prophecy. First, what was the original prophecy?

_The young man of years old and saviors of five, _

_Into a perilous journey shall dive, _

_To rescue twins of past foretold, _

_Their future and lives to unfold._

_One shall find at the brooding willow, _

_A tortured soul of a girl with features of a doe, _

_One is lost and one is found, _

_The missing hidden in nature round, _

_To awaken from long slumber deep,_

_Only time will heal and blade will reap._

"We should try to figure out each line at a time," said Rachel. I was shocked. She actually remembered? Hah. What a nerd. I smirked at Rachel and she noticed.

"What's so funny? You would remember the prophecy also if you actually cared," She countered. Ouch. That actually hurt.

"You think that I don't care? If I didn't care, do you think that I would even bother with this? Huh? How can I not care about rescuing the girls when I have a dream of one of them every night? It's almost like they're haunting me! I mean, I'm a normal teenage boy when suddenly I learn that my destiny has been tied to these girls for almost seventy years! Do you understand what it feels like? No, I don't think that you do. Otherwise you wouldn't have criticized," I snapped. Rachel looked taken aback. The room was completely silent. Everyone looked shocked. Clarisse looked.. proud.

"Awww, I didn't know that wittle-Nico-weako had it in him! I'm so darn proud," Clarisse enunciated. I turned my glare on her.

"Shut up, Clarisse!" I practically yelled. She gasped theatrically. Chiron looked slightly worried even though his voice was calm.

"Settle down now. We're never going to figure this out if we keep on fighting between ourselves." Annabeth nodded in agreement.

"Again, like Rachel said, we should analyze each line at a time." When Travis looked confused, she cleared it up.

"Analyze means to look at something carefully. So the first line says the young man of years old and saviors of five. I think that that means all of us. There are five of us and Nico is the young man of years old." Rachel nodded.

"That makes sense. The second line is 'into a perilous journey shall dive.' That's clear enough. We're going on a perilous journey." Percy nodded, understanding how they were analyzing the prophecy.

"'To rescue twins of past foretold, their future and lives to unfold.' That's referring to the twins that were in another prophecy from the past." Percy looked proud that he had deciphered two lines in the prophecy. Connor looked slightly confused.

"'One shall find at the brooding willow.' What's the brooding willow?" he asked. Chiron looked deep in thought.

"Nico, is there a place where you often go to think when you're upset or bothered?" he asked, looking at me.

"I go to the willow tree on the north end of the forest," I said without any hesitation. Was that where Alysa was? Apparently I must have voiced my thoughts out loud because Chiron nodded slowly.

"I think that Alysa may be hidden in the willow tree. The next line, 'A tortured soul of a girl with features of a doe' reminds me of one of Alysa's best friends who died to protect the twins. It's a long story," said Chiron. We begged him if he could tell us, but he looked at the sun outside and said,

"It's late. We should go sound the dinner bell." I nodded and left the cabin, stuck in my thoughts. Could we really be that close to Alysa? I looked back at the fields and decided that I had enough time. I ran to the willow tree and sat down. Looking up at the branches, I saw that they were intertwined beautifully. It looked.. almost as if it was spelling out a word. I stood up abruptly and looked more carefully at the branches. The first branch had two almost straight lines with a smaller line connecting them in the middle. The second one had a vertical straight line with three horizontal lines attached to it. The third branch had two perpendicular lines. Oh no. I was starting to see what this word was.

Please don't be the word that I think it is, please don't be the word that I think it is, I prayed. I looked up and saw that the fourth branch was a vertical line with a curved line at the top. I gasped. HELP! Alysa must have left that message there somehow, or maybe it was her friend who sacrificed herself to save Alysa. It was pretty amazing what a friend would do for you. I looked around, wondering if the ghost of the friend was here. Feeling a bit stupid, I decided to call out for her.

"Hello? Is the ghost of Alysa's friend here? Ummm, I need to talk to you," I yelled out, cupping my hands to my mouth.

"Hello? Anyone here?" I turned around, feeling even more stupid than before. I heard a sob behind me. I whirled around, and saw a pale girl. She was very thin with rags that could hardly be called clothes. Her black hair whipped around her sunken eyes and her cheeks looked sallow. She looked like she was shivering. I finally found my voice.

"Who are you?" I asked, not unkindly. She shook her head quickly, her eyes darting every which way.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to know if you're Alysa's friend. And Alethea's friend. I'm on a rescue mission for them. I promise you that I'm not going to hurt anyone," I said, arms spread out and wearing what I hoped to be a comforting expression on my face. I walked slowly towards her. She looked at me with terror in her eyes. I made noises to her as I would to a scared animal. The girl slowly stopped shivering.

"What's your name?" I asked gently. "I'm Nico diAngelo. I want to save the twins. They're my friends now. I need to know your story so that I can save them," I said. The girl shuddered once.

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I looked at her comfortingly.

"Come on, you can do it. Take deep breaths and calm down," I said, noticing her body quivering. The girl opened her mouth to speak again and her voice came out, even though it was a whisper. I leaned closer to hear her.

"I-I'm Penelope. H-he tried to kill them but when I tried to save them, he made me this ghost thing. I-I'm scared," Penelope whispered quickly. I tried to wrap my arms around her shoulder but my arm passed right through her body. Creepy. So I tried to interrogate her further.

"Penelope, I know that the memories may hurt you, but I need for you to tell me the full story. Who tried to kill them?" I asked, even though I had a pretty good idea who it was.

"Zeus," she gasped. "I tried to save the girls but he came after them. I got an anonymous letter the day before Zeus came with a warning to help the girls. I was scared but I decided to help them anyway. We were running in the forest when Aphrodite came disguised. She told us that Zeus would come any second. The twins transformed into a tree and a flower bush and I was left alone to face Zeus' wrath," she sobbed. I felt bad for her.

"There, there. It's okay," I said, not pushing her to tell the rest of the story. But she told me anyway.

"Zeus tortured me. He tried to get me to tell him where the twins were. But I didn't tell him. I couldn't! He was going to kill them! So he got mad and turned me into this, and now I'll never get to achieve Elysium," She wailed, clutching her hands together. I looked at her pityingly.

"I'm sorry. Is there a way that I can help you?" I asked. Penelope looked at me sharply.

"I-I don't think so. Unless you happen to have a sword blade made of Stygian metal," she said. Huh. Was that a crafty look that I saw in her eyes? Oh well. Might as well put her out of her misery.

"I do," I said, unsheathing the sword. She gasped and looked at me.

"To send me to Hades, you have to kill me the proper way." I felt totally grossed out. The proper way?

"Wait, so do I have to run my sword through your body?" She nodded. Ugh. I'm going to feel like a murderer.

"Are you ready?" She asked. Was that a bit of eagerness I detected? Oh well. I nodded and lifted the blade. Penelope opened her arms wide. I closed my eyes and stabbed at... air. What? Opening my eyes, I saw no one in front of me. I looked upward slightly and saw Penelope floating in the air. The edges of her body were glowing and her eyes were closed. Penelope's

clothes had magically repaired themselves and she looked healthier, more full of life. I gasped at the changes in her appearance. Her big brown eyes were big and contrasted with her bronzed skin. She looked... like a doe. How appropriate. A tortured soul of a girl with features of a doe. Beautiful. She opened her eyes and she laughed.

"Thank you, Nico. Thank you. I wish you luck on your quest to save the twins," She laid her hand on my head before disappearing with a big whooshing noise and a huge breeze. I blinked rapidly, wondering if she had really been there. But my hands were glowing slightly from her blessing so that confirmed that the dream was real. And that it wasn't really a dream.

I rushed back to the camp and saw that it was nightfall. Where had the time gone so quickly? I ran to the tables and began shoveling food down my mouth. Annabeth, Percy, and Grover joined me at my table.

"What happened?" asked Annabeth tersely. I told them everything about Penelope and how I saw the word HELP in the branches. Annabeth looked grim.

"Well, I guess you'll have to wait until tonight to see if you have another dream of Alysa," she said. I nodded in agreement. Secretly, I wanted another meeting with Alysa. The night passed quickly, with everyone singing around the fire pit. As I got ready for bed, I thought of what Penelope had said about Alethea being turned into a flower bush nearby the willow tree. I sat straight up in bed as a revelation came to me. There was a rose bush next to the willow tree! Was that where Alethea was?

I laid down to go to sleep. For about an hour or so, sleep evaded me, but eventually I fell asleep and saw Alysa waiting for me. And she had a sword in her hand and there was fire behind her. Uh-oh.

-page break-

**A/N: Hey everyone! So how was the chapter? I know, I know that it's a cliffhanger.. But guess what? If you review, then you'll get more chapters! YAYAY! So go press that lonely little review button! oh, and btw, I enabled anonymous reviews so go ahead and review anonymously if you want to or are too lazy 2 sign in! lolz!**

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